Police official assaults Muslims offering prayers in Delhi
In the capital city of Delhi, a police officer was captured on video assaulting Muslims while they were offering Friday prayers on the roadside. The video shows the officer kicking and punching Muslim worshippers while they prostrate as part of the prayer.
Hindu extremist cow vigilantes beat up truck driver over cattle transport
Hindu extremist cow vigilantes in Haryana state crossed into Uttar Pradesh state while chasing a truck transporting cattle. The extremists tied up the feet of the driver and brutally beat him.
Throughout India, Hindu militant mobs routinely target Muslims over baseless accusations of committing crimes. These mobs, also known as cow vigilantes, attack and in some cases lynch Muslims accused of transporting cattle or consuming beef.
Police open fire at Muslim man over allegations of cattle slaughter
In BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, police fired at a Muslim man over allegations of cattle slaughter. The victim sustained a bullet injury in his leg.
The incident is the latest in an ongoing trend of violent attacks against predominantly Muslim cattle traders by law enforcement. Over the last month, multiple instances of injuries have occurred due to police firing.
India among “worst autocratisers” in world in recent years, says V-Dem Institute
India has been one of the “worst autocratisers” in the world in recent years, said the Sweden-based Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem) Institute in a report. According to the report, titled “Democracy Winning and Losing at the Ballot,” India remained an “electoral autocracy” at the end of 2023 after first being categorized as one in 2018.
“Over the years, India’s autocratization process has been well documented, including gradual but substantial deterioration of freedom of expression, compromising independence of the media, crackdowns on social media, harassments of journalists critical of the government, as well as attacks on civil society and intimidation of the opposition,” read the report.
